Tag Archives: windows-7-sp1

So much of our Geeky attention was focused on WWDC today that the Windows announcement seemed to slip through the proverbial cracks. The team from Redmond told TechEd attendees that a public beta of Windows 7 SP1 should be available next month. The official release is expected later this year. IT administrators should be ready for the beta to arrive. This will give you the opportunity to check for compatibility and integration testing when getting ready to transition to the service pack.

According to the official press release, “SP1 will not contain any new features that are specific to Windows 7 itself. For Windows 7, SP1 will simply be the combination of updates already available through Windows Update and additional hotfixes based on feedback by our customers and partners. In other words, customers can feel confident about deploying Windows 7 now!”

Speculation is that Microsoft is pushing out the beta quickly in the hopes of attracting more enterprise customers. If the operating system is already this secure, why haven’t you upgraded your business yet? Thoughts?

In just a few months, Universal Music Group is dropping the prices on their CDs to between six and ten dollars each in an effort to boost sales. While the company does have its hand in the music download and streaming side of things, their profit margins are much better with physical disc sales. Up until now, however, it usually cost far more to buy a copy at the local WalMart than it did to purchase the entire album digitally.

In addition to the lower cost, UMG plans to add extra content to physical CDs that cannot be purchased online. Their hope is the combination of the lower cost packed with additional features will bring sales out of the serious slump they find themselves in. I personally love this idea, and will likely buy more compact discs than normal. I do buy music online, sure. But there’s just something about owning those sweet little silver discs that I am hopelessly addicted to. What about you? Will the lower cost cause you to go out and buy more music in hard copy form?